Oral Submission to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

OTTAWA – Today, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, with its partners in standing ‒ Saturviit Inuit
Women’s Association of Nunavik, Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre, AnânauKatiget Tumingit Regional Inuit Women’s
Association, and Manitoba Inuit Association ‒ made its oral closing submission to the National Inquiry
into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The Inquiry is hearing from numerous groups
during its week-long session in Ottawa.

Presented by Rebecca Kudloo, President, the submission focuses specifically on the messages that emerged
from stories that Inuit families shared with the Inquiry. “We want the families who came forward and
shared painful and difficult stories to know that we heard them,” said Kudloo. “The heartbreaking stories of
violence, childhood abuse, lack of shelters and poor police interventions are some of the roots for our
group’s seven recommendations to the Inquiry. Canada needs to move forward from review and into
action. The lives of Inuit women and girls depend on it.”

The recommendations also stress the dire need for Inuit-designed and Inuit-delivered services. These
include cultural training for service providers such as judges, police, and health care workers and
culturally-relevant services for the growing number of Inuit women living outside of Inuit Nunangat.

Kudloo added, “As I said during our presentation, Inuit are strong and have a strong culture. We need to
take that strength and heal from intergenerational trauma, and to support one another so that home stops
being the most dangerous place for Inuit women and their children. There are resourceful and
determined Inuit making positive steps forward, but more support and more healthy homes are needed to
break the cycle of violence. We will be watching the remaining work of the Inquiry closely – as well as the
response from the Government of Canada.”

Please click on the links below to read or watch the oral and written submissions.